New Allies
by CleopatraVII
Summary: This is a Harry PotterLord of the Rings crossover. It sounds weird, but try it anyways. The HP trio accompanies the LOTR crew through Mid. Earth....Please R&R!
1. Arrival

Author's Note: I do NOT own these people. I just was thinking about how similar Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is. I hope you all enjoy it!

Arrival

The fellowship had greatly suffered following the loss of Gandalf. 

The hobbits didn't talk much, merely cried, or stared into the distance with blank expressions. Gimli didn't show any emotion on the outside, but inside he was weeping. He let out his sadness by chopping would as fast as he could. Legolas stood afar from the group, clearly concentrating on something unknown to the rest of the group. Boromir offered to get wood, then ran off as fast as possible, breathing hard.

Aragorn watched all of this. He felt horrible for his friends (the hobbits especially) but did not know how to help them. He had pain of his own, but it was numbed by years of pain and loss. He was perhaps the most aware of them all, therefore he kept watch for Orcs- both he and Legolas had seen them on the opposite shore.

As Aragorn again surveyed the camp, he heard a soft thump behind him.

"Harry?" asked a quivering boy's voice.

"Right here. Hermione?" asked another boy's voice, sounding winded.

"R-Right here, Harry. Ron?" asked a girl's voice, sounding close to pain.

"Who do you think asked for Harry?" retorted the first voice.

"Ron…" said the second voice, a note of warning in it.

Aragorn picked up a small rock and threw it at Legolas. It hit him lightly in the shoulder, and he turned, looking cautious. 

He saw Aragorn, and mouthed 'what?' silently so as not to disturb the agonized hobbits.

Aragorn motioned for him to come over, then drew his sword. Legolas slipped silently over and followed suit.

As they walked through the forest, Legolas leaned over and whispered, "What is it, Aragorn?"

"Listen…" Aragorn replied in a voice barely audible.

They paused and heard, "Shh! I think someone's coming!" from the voice that had been called Harry.

Legolas and Aragorn split up and crept towards the voices, weapons drawn. They reached a small clearing, and, standing in the middle, were three children, two boys, and a girl. One boy had red hair and freckles, a big nose, and was taller then his companions. The other boy had jet-black hair, but Aragorn couldn't tell much more about him, because his back was turned. The girl had comically curly brown hair and brown eyes. These eyes widened as they saw the tall, slim man with shoulder-length brown hair and his sword drawn coming towards them.

"HARRY!" she screamed, and Harry whipped around, spotted Aragorn, and lifted a long stick and pointed it at him.
    
    He opened his mouth to yell something, but was cut off by the soft flit of a flying arrow. Legolas' arrow knocked the wooden stick from Harry's hand without leaving a mark.

Legolas and Aragorn stepped into the clearing, looking impressive despite their weariness. "Put down your sticks children." Aragorn ordered. The children stared back, not knowing what to do. "Put them down, now!" Aragorn repeated. Legolas picked up his bow and arrow and pointed it at the boy they called Harry.

"Hermione, know any spells?" Harry asked, but the girl didn't answer; she was frozen with shock.

"Apparently not. Put down your miniature staffs and I shall not fire." Legolas said. He glanced at Aragorn, who nodded.

"There's nothing else to do, guys." Harry said, then took the sticks from his friends.

"Thank you. Now, who are you, and how did you get here?" Aragorn asked, and Legolas relaxed.

The children looked at one another, then Harry stepped forward and said, "Uh, my name is Harry Potter. These are my friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasely. We don't know how we got here."

Aragorn and Legolas stared at him. "You are a hairy potter?" asked Legolas, face blank.

Ron snickered and elbowed Harry, who blushed deeply. "No, we are wizards."

At this, Legolas brought his bow back up and Aragorn drew his sword. "Where are your staffs, wizard?" he spat.

Author's Note: Okay, this is strange, but I hope you liked it. Please REVIEW!!!!!


	2. Back At Camp

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I've been busy with other stories. Also, I had the evil ELA's at school, so that took up some of my time as well. Sorry! Anyhow, I finally checked back to this story and saw that I had 15 reviews for one chapter! O.O! Anyways, thank you to all that reviewed! It means a lot! If you could continue to review with thoughts, comments, flames, whatever, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!

Back at Camp

Legolas stared at Aragorn, then back at the children. They were obviously terrified, and were watching the two grown men wearily. "Perhaps we should get them back to camp before we ask them any questions, Aragorn." The elf said quietly.

Harry looked curiously at Legolas. He nudged Ron and Hermione, then pointed to Legolas. "Check out his clothes…weird. Have you ever seen clothes like that?" 

His companions shook their heads, regarding Legolas curiously, as well as Aragorn.

Aragorn seemed to consider what Legolas had suggested, then nodded. "Perhaps you are right, Legolas. Let us get them back to camp. Perhaps Gimli or Boromir may have questions for our new…friends."

Aragorn led the children through the woods, Legolas bringing up the rear. He talked to Legolas in elvish; hoping the wizards would not be able to understand them. "Are they with Sauron?" he asked, motioning to the trio.

"I do not know, Aragorn." Legolas replied.

"What do you think?" Aragorn asked. Harry stared at him intently with his dazzling eyes, but quickly looked away when Aragorn turned his piercing stare at him. 

Legolas looked at the children, all of whom had their eyes on the ground, following silently. "I truly do not think so, Aragorn, but we shall see. It seems strange for there to be wizards this young, but…" he trailed off, sighing heavily. "We do not know the limits to Sauron's evil. Perhaps these children ARE evil, and are a very clever spying attempt."

Aragorn nodded, then paused. They had arrived at camp.

~*~*~*~

"We were wondering where you had…where you…uh…" Gimli began, then trailed off staring at the three teenagers being flanked by the ranger and the elf.

Aragorn looked around the camp. The hobbits had turned around, and were goggling at the newcomers. Except Frodo. He regarded them dully, and Aragorn would have bet all the Lembas in Rivendell he had only turned around to make sure everyone had come back. He didn't seem to notice that they were not part of the group…he was too deep in grief.

Boromir still was away, but that didn't matter. Aragorn could manage without him.

"We have some…visitors." Aragorn drawled.

The red haired boy snorted, then muttered "Great, we come to another world, and we meet up with a Snape!" to Harry, who kicked him swiftly to make him shut up. Legolas watched them until they fell silent under his mildly amused stare.

Aragorn cleared his throat, then continued. "They claim to be wizards."

"Gandalf?" Frodo murmured, his blue eyes scanning Harry, Hermione, and finally falling on Ron.

"We don't really know, yet, Frodo. We intend to find out." Aragorn added, and Harry gritted his teeth.

"We haven't done ANYTHING wrong! We told you: we don't know how we got here! We're just kids!" Harry screamed at Aragorn, and Ron and Hermione restrained him from jumping at Aragorn.

"You said you are wizards." Aragorn pointed out lightly in a maddeningly calm voice. If the children had known him better, they would have been terrified by this voice. It was Aragorn's I-Am-Not-Going-To-Cut-You-Slack-But-I-Will-Cut-Your-Throat voice.

"We ARE! But we aren't bad!" Harry cried, shoulders drooping slightly. Ron and Hermione stayed behind him, ready to come to his aide if he decided to fight. They knew he had put up with a lot from his aunt and uncle, and he had recently been standing up for himself more and more. Even though they knew that, they were still amazed that he was standing up against a stranger.

"I asked you before: where are your staffs?" Aragorn hissed coolly. Legolas stepped forward and put a hand on his arm, trying to get him to calm down. Aragorn had been affected by the loss of Gandalf, and now it was coming out.

Everyone glared at one another, the air thick with tension. Ron curled his hands into fists. The hobbits (excluding Frodo) stood up and put their hands on the hilt of their daggers, preparing for a fight. Gimli cleared his throat loudly (making half the camp jump) and planted his feet in the underbrush, still clutching the axe he had promised to Frodo. 

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter, sorry it took so long! Please review, and I will continue! I promise this will get better, I have an idea or two up my sleeve. And Aragorn will probably get nicer, just give him a little while to work of the steam…


	3. Understanding

Author's Note: Wow, lots of reviews! I don't own these people…*whistles then swipes Frodo, Harry, and Aragorn into backpack and runs away* Thank you all! I'll try to answer questions and/or requests in this chapter. Please review!

Understanding

The tension remained thick for a while. Frodo, who was pale and ill looking, stood up and stood between Strider and Harry. He cleared his throat, then softly said, "Stop."

Aragorn (as well as everyone else in the camp) looked at him. "What?" he asked, puzzled. 

"Stop!" Frodo said, a bit more forcefully. "What do we know of these new people? What do they know of us? In these difficult times, we shall need all the allies we can scrounge, Aragorn." The hobbit looked around. "They are mere children. Aragorn, do not spill innocent blood. Gandalf would," Frodo cleared his throat, more tears welling in his large eyes, before continuing, "G-Gandalf would not want anymore to be spilled than is necessary." He cast a finally glance around the camp, then went back to his log.

Aragorn watched the broken hobbit, then lowered his weapons. "You may release me." He said to Legolas, who looked doubtful. He turned back to Harry and his friends, studying them carefully. They studied him in turn. Harry and Aragorn's eyes met briefly, and Aragorn's shoulders relaxed.

Harry pursed his lips and looked at his friends. They met his eyes, and Hermione nodded slowly. Harry turned back to Aragorn, and offered him a hand. "My name is Harry Potter, as I said. We are thirteen years old, and are in our third year at Hogwa…at our school. We are wizards, or magical beings, but we don't mean any harm. We're actually trying to survive against an evil wizard."

Gimli's eyes widened. The hobbits (except for Frodo, who merely watched silently from his log) took a collective gasp. Legolas and Aragorn exchanged looks, paling slightly.

"We to are trying to survive an evil wizard also. It seems we have found common ground, Harry." Aragorn said, then sighed. "My name is Aragorn, or Strider. This is Legolas, an elf of Mirkwood. Here is Gimli, son of Gloin, a dwarf. These are Hobbits, named Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo. There is another, Boromir, but he is out gathering wood." The tall man pointed to everyone as he named them, and they acknowledged his introduction by nodding their heads, smiling weakly, or grunting.

"Here are your sticks, children." Legolas threw them each their wands.

The trio examined their wands carefully, making sure that each was unharmed and in a good working order. "Er…" Harry murmured, blushing his trademark blush.

Aragorn raised his eyebrows in a way to say "yes?" at Harry.

"We need to see if our wands still work…If we practice some spells, will you not…" Harry began.

"…not kill us?" Ron croaked in conclusion. He was very pale, making his many freckles that were splashed across his face stand out clearly. He looked fretfully at Aragorn, who smiled amiably.

"Yes, little ones, but take heed! Try not to attract attention, for Sauron's minions are ever watchful." Aragorn warned, chuckling lightly. A small smile curled his lips, and looked quite out of place on his weathered face and below his hardened eyes.

"All right then. Me first…" Hermione declared. Then she reached over and snatched Harry's glasses. She quickly broke them in half, much to Harry's dislike.

"What the--" Harry cried, shocked.

"Oculous Reparo!" Hermione called, and Harry's glasses mended.

The fellowship of the ring stared amazed. Frodo bit his lower lip, then whispered, "Elbereth is finally smiling upon us. Oh, Sam, we may just have a chance." 

Sam nodded, eyes wide, and he clutched Frodo's arm, ready to protect him in case of danger. The new beings were obviously powerful, and, if they decided to join the battle, could cause a lot of damage. Sam was in awe of the children-wizards, and his jaw was agape.

Legolas looked at Aragorn, who seemed troubled. He knew that his friend was concerned for the group, and had many doubts. Legolas personally thought that Aragorn had made the right choice, and was proud of Frodo for emerging from his grief to make a suggestion for the welfare of his companions. _Perhaps, _the elf thought, smiling, _Frodo is right. Maybe these beings ARE a showing of Elbereth's blessings at long last…Valor knows we are desperate need of a moral boost. Especially the ring bearer. These children may help in that aspect, if not in any others._

"Serpensortia!" Harry cried, after reclaiming his glasses. A large snake came out of his wand, making Sam leap back in terror. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I can get rid of it." With a wave of his wand, and a few well-chosen words, the snake had gone, and Sam's heart resumed beating.

It was Ron's turn. He cleared his throat loudly (much like Gimli) and pointed his wand at a large rock. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He yelled, and the rock began to rise into the air.

"Oi, Pip, look at that!" merry said, nudging Pippin in the ribs and grinning like a child.

"Aye, that's something you don't see everyday." Pippin agreed, an identical grin on his face, and his eyes alight with a joy that had not been seen in them since before he had left the Shire. 

A/N: Hope you liked this as much as the other chapters, I'm finally getting into the swing of things (I think…I hope!). I apologize if I spelled any spells wrong; it's been a while since I read the series! Please review! PS- Who here can't wait until HP5 comes out? Or LOTR3? I'm SO anxious! Okay, I also need a life, but at last I'm not alone (I hope :P)! 


	4. The Uruk Hai Arrive

A/N: Sorry this took a while to update! I had writer's block *tear* Anywho, these characters aren't mine… actually, YES THEY ARE!!! Mine! All mine! Muahahaha! *random person walks over* *SLAP!* Thank you, random person…Please review! Once again, thanks to all who bothered to review so far…it means a lot! Thanks! 

The Uruk-Hai Arrive

The newly arrived children were enjoying showing off their magical powers to the amazed Hobbits. Merry and Pippin sat watching, eyes wide and uncomprehending. Sam stood protectively close to Frodo, but seemed to be greatly enjoying the show none the less. Frodo even seemed to come out of his misery once and a while, long enough to smile wanly at the different arrays of colors and sounds the trio produced. The air was filled with tentative giggling.

"This has been a display of exceedingly good luck." Legolas said to Aragorn. The two of them we perched upon a large log towards the outside of their encampment. Aragorn nodded, then clapped his hands at another trick Hermione had performed. Legolas smiled, eyes twinkling.

Frodo stood up. Sam instantly came to his side, but Frodo shook his head. "Stay here, Sam. You are enjoying yourself! I merely wish to take a walk, and I don't need protection from the trees. I'll be back soon, don't fret, Samwise Gamgee." With that said, he raised a hand to Aragorn and Legolas before turning and walking into the woods, following Boromir's footsteps. 

Ron, Harry, and Hermione paused their tricks and watched him go. Hermione looked at Aragorn, her brow furrowed in worry. Harry joined her gaze, emerald eyes wide and vulnerable. 

"Well?" Pippin asked Ron gently.

"Well what?" 

"Are you going to continue?" Merry prompted.

"I suppose…" Ron said, then prodded Harry in the back, grinning. Harry turned around (as did Hermione) and, after a brief pause, they resumed with their tricks (the ones they had always dreamed of using in Snape's class, but never quite daring to). 

~*~*~*~

Several hours passed. Harry's watch didn't work on Middle Earth, so they didn't know what time it was. All they were aware of was that they were getting hungry.

When they pointed this problem out to Aragorn, he smiled lightly and replied, "Can't you magic yourselves some food?" before tossing them some meat, apples, and a flask of spiced wine to share. Watching them eat, he remarked, "Children. They are so much like hobbits…" before shrugging and resuming mild conversation with Legolas. 

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, Frodo met up and was chased away by Boromir. 

"I think I shall see where our final hobbit has disappeared to…" Aragorn said at last, then walked away, leaving the group to themselves.

That was the last time Ron, Harry, and Hermione saw Aragorn looking mildly calm and happy. Then he was gone, off to find Frodo.

~*~*~*~

The remaining group ate, joked, and generally enjoyed each other's company. Legolas and Gimli constantly picked at each other, reminding Harry so strongly of Ron and Hermione that he laughed until tears streamed down his face. He grinned at Ron and Hermione, who obviously didn't see any connection between themselves and the elf and the dwarf.

Merry and Pippin watched Legolas and Gimli gleefully, enjoying every minute of seeing the exotic beings act…hobbitly. 

This carried on for quite a while, but it was suddenly interrupted by Boromir's trumpet. It brayed several times before stuttering to a halt. 

Legolas jumped to his feet. "That was Boromir's horn. There is trouble! We must find Frodo!" he cried briefly, then disappeared into the trees. Gimli raced after him.

"Oi, come with us!" Merry instructed Harry and his friends, then he too left into the trees, closely followed by his friend and the trio. 

They ran until Harry tripped. He fell, his glasses spilling from his face. Merry and Pippin took no notice, but Hermione and Ron stopped and knelt by his side. Harry spat leaves and dirt out of his mouth, relocated his glasses, and sat up. "I wish I had my firebolt." He muttered, and his friends nodded sympathetically.

As Harry stood up, he heard a soft voice drifting through the trees. "The decision is yours to make, Frodo."

"That's Aragorn!" Hermione hissed.

They heard crunching in the trees near them, and Frodo appeared. He stared at them, then softly said, "Please do not tell the others I have gone. If you wish, tell Samwise that I'll shall miss him." He turned to go, looked back once, then dashed off.

"Let's go." Harry said, and began running in the same direction as Frodo. 

"B-but," Hermione sputtered, "shouldn't we stay and relay the message?"

Ron rolled his eyes, then grabbed her arm and hauled her off after Harry. 

~*~*~*~

By the time they reached the shore, Frodo and Sam were in the elvish boat, paddling away. Sounds of battle rang from the woods behind them, and two small hobbits were rapidly paddling away in front of them. 

"What do we do?" Ron asked Harry, his voice squeaking mildly. As far as he could tell, both of the choices were impossible. To him, it was like choosing between kissing Snape and poking a sleeping Horntail in the eye with one of her own eggs. "What're we gonna do?"

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Let's have a vote: Stay with Aragorn and co., or go with Sam and Frodo? Which would you like to see? Drop me a review (hint, hint) and an email at BigNI96544@aol.com (note how I didn't say "or" lol). Please? With sugaries on top? BTW: if you like aliens and British accents, check out Dreamcatcher! It's a REALLY good movie (right up there with LOTR and HP in my opinion- then again, I'm also a SK freak). Thanks for not giving up on this story; it's not abandoned yet! 


	5. Splitting Up

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long! I had a MAJOR case of writer's block! I promised a friend I'd have this chapter up by August first, so… this chapter is dedicated to her! Thanks for being an inspiration! To everyone else who was ready for this chapter, thanks for all the support! Please review, as usual! Oh, and these aren't mine *sniffle* 

Splitting Up

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, the sounds of battle approaching the shore. Screams from voices familiar and unfamiliar alike began filling the air, cutting through the bone. 

Harry stood ankle-deep in the water, and bit his lip contemplatively. He looked back at his friends, who were pale faced and fidgeting, then back to the hobbits, who were beginning to paddle away. "Sorry, 'Mione. You and Ron go on. These two need help!"

Ron stared at his friend. "Harry, are you bloody INSANE?!"

Harry smiled. "See you somewhere, Ron. Bye, Hermione."

Hermione squeaked, then tears began to pour down her face. "Harry! B-but… Harry, no!" she stamped her foot, and started towards the raven-haired boy. She would've reached him, but Ron grabbed onto her arm.

In the instant it took for her to pause and send daggers at Ron via her eyes, Harry saw his chance and began sprinting towards the elven canoe. The water grew deep quickly, and he began to paddle, crying out to Frodo and Sam, and forcing himself to ignore Hermione's anguished shrieks. 

"Harry! HARRY! H-H-HARRY!" Hermione shrieked, attempting to throw herself after her friend, but Ron held her back. As Harry joined Frodo and Sam, she turned around and sobbed on Ron's shoulder.

Ron froze, then put a hand on her shoulder and held her at arm's length. "C'mon, Hermione, we've got to get back! They need our help!"

Hermione sniffled, then nodded. She began to lead the way back to the camp, flatly refusing to turn around. As she stomped off, Ron cast a final glance over his shoulder to Harry, who was quickly growing smaller in the distance of the river. He raised a hand in fair well, and Harry returned it. 

A final glint of the sun, and Harry was gone. 

~*~*~*~

"Hermione?"

"Don't say a word, Ron Weasely."

"…Hermione?"

"No."

"… Her-my-oh-nee?"

"What?!"

"You're going the wrong—GAAAH!"

Hermione whipped around, her wand at the ready, and found herself facing one of the ugliest creatures she had ever seen. "What the…?" she muttered, staring at it.

The Orc had no interest in the frizzy-haired girl holding a stick. Instead, it reached out and grabbed hold of Ron's neck. Tightening its grip, the Orc lifted the pale Weasely off of his feet and held Ron at its shoulder height. The Orc grinned maliciously at Hermione, who goggled at it, temporarily frozen.

FLIT! TWANG!

A long arrow whipped through the air and pierced the Orc's shoulder. With a cry, it dropped Ron and whipped around to face Legolas, who stood with his bow drawn, but no arrow in hand. 

The Orc realized Legolas's dilemma, and began loping over to him, it's working hand balled in a fist.

Hermione, meanwhile, knelt by Ron's side. After an initial check, she figured that he was all right, mearly in shock. She jumped to her feet, pointed her wand, and triumphantly cried, "IMPEDIMENTA!" 

The Orc froze in mid-lope. Legolas leaned back, then looked around, expecting the Orc to jump at him.

"He'll start moving in a second, so HURRY!" Hermione cried to him.

Legolas nodded curtly, then pulled out his sword and quickly slit the Orc's throat with a single blurred movement of his arm. Blood poured from the gash in the Orc's throat, and the Orc, to add to the horrible scene, remained standing as blood poured down it's front. Legolas grimaced and grabbed a clean-ish edge of the Orc's outfit and wiped the blade of his sword clean. "Thank you." Legolas said to Hermione as he did so.

A livid shade of green, Hermione gagged and muttered, "You're welcome." before she staggered off into the trees and wretched. She returned a few moments later, wiping her mouth with her mouth pulled into a distasteful mew of disgust.

Legolas helped Ron to his feet, then turned to Hermione. "Little ones, are you prepared to kill?" he asked, looking them in the eyes.

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. "I-If we have to…" Ron muttered.

The elf nodded briefly, then clapped them on the shoulders. "Try to help the others with that… that… freezing spell if you can." With another nod, he disappeared into the woods. 

Ron and Hermione followed him, but he was too far ahead. Instead, they followed their ears to the sounds of battle. Hermione froze every Orc they came by, and Ron muttered spells that quickly bound the Orcs up tight enough so they couldn't move- quite a feat considering the strength of a single Orc.

~*~*~*~

The two wizards continued on in this fashion, for quite a while. Shortly after they had frozen and bound their seventeenth Orc, they heard Boromir's trumpet blasting.

They ran towards the sound, finding their path miraculously Orc-free. They continued on, cautiously picking up their pace, soon forgetting about silence and stealth in their frenzy to get back to, at the very least, Legolas and Aragorn (for they hadn't seen any of the Fellowship since Legolas had slit the Orc's throat). 

As they crashed about, breaking branches loudly, another Orc burst from the trees beside them. It grinned, then picked up Hermione, who had frozen at precisely the wrong moment. As it slung her rudely over it's shoulder, Hermione's luck failed her in the worst way: she dropped her wand.

"RON!" she screamed, kicking and thrashing about.

"HERMIONE!" He screamed back, then furiously muttered spells at the Orc. 

The Orc, however, ignored this and dodged each of Ron's ill-aimed spells. It swung its fist and hit Ron's temple, causing him to collapse instantly. Ron hit the ground, and the Orc ran off into the woods, Hermione's screams fading as its distance increased. 

~*~*~*~

"Little one." 

Ron muttered indistinguishably, then rolled away from the sharp jabs in his midsection. 

"Little one. Time for waking." Legolas's soft, musical voice drifted into Ron's subconscious, and finally roused the redhead. 

"Wassamatter?" he mumbled, then snapped awake as he remembered where he was. "One of those… those… things! It took Hermione!"

Legolas nodded. "We know. We were unable to stop the Orc that had her, as well as the Orc's that had Merry and Pippin."

"Wah-? Those things go them, too?" 

"Yes. And…"

"And…?" Ron asked.

"And… Boromir is dead. He was killed, but he died an honorary hero's death." Legolas looked away. "Come on, little one, it is time for us to go. We must leave. Quickly."

Ron nodded, then stood up. Legolas began to walk away, but Ron held him back. "Uh, Legless?"

"Yes?" Legolas asked with a small smile.

"My name's Ron… could you… maybe… call me that instead of 'little one'?"

"Yes, on one condition." Legolas's eyes twinkled in an almost Dumbledore style.

"What?" Ron asked, years of living with Fred and George having trained him to dread the worse when asked to do things in conditions.

"Call me Legolas, not 'legless'…"

A/N: So? Was it worth the wait? Review and let me know! 


	6. Seperate Paths

A/N: I've been watching "LOTR2: tT" and the little special features… I am actually listening to "Gollum's Song" right now, via-DVD. I've been inspired ^_^ Woot! So here, my dear reviewers, is the long-awaited next chapter to New Allies. These people aren't mine, but you'd know that if you bothered to read the authoress's notes lol… I'm at home with the flu, so now I'm writing. WOOT! Oh, if you're wondering how people have managed to traipse from the Dwarf caverns to… wherever the heck we are now… uhm, just go with the flow, ok? Sorry, that's about all I can say… On with the chappy!

Separate Paths

"Oi, Pip! Lookit that, it's that girl!"

"Aye, it is, it is! Wake up! Wake up, uhm… What was her name, Merry?"

"Hermione, wasn't it? Something 'round that, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Oi, Hermione, Wake up!"

"Wake up! Wake UP!" Merry yelled to Hermione, who was tied to an Uruk-Hai next to him. The Uruk-Hai (a particularly ugly fellow by the name of "Snortz" …not that anyone cares) snorted at him, but did not speed up in anyway.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Now Merry and Pippin were chanting together, both struggling to be heard over the constant and nearly rhythmic _tramp-tramp-tramp_ of the Uruk-Hai's many marching feet to wake Hermione up. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Hermione began to stir, but just barely. Snortz had long ago grown tired of her high-pitched shrieks as he hoisted her away from the familiarity of Ron and the safety of Aragorn and Legolas, and had silenced her with a rough backhand. A large goose egg of a lump had swollen up on the witch's temple, proof of the Uruk-Hai's brutality.

"Wake up!" Merry cried, staring intently at her, as if his gaze alone would wake her.

"Wake UP!" Pippin echoed, although his voice held a level of deep panic that Merry's had not, his voice climbing the octive.

The terror in Pippin's shriek seemed to do the trick, because Hermione tilted her head back a bit and blinked at them blearily. "Ron?" she asked, her voice garbled and full of slumber.

The two hobbits exchanged a glance, then looked back at her. "Uhm, not exactly…" Pippin muttered to her, barely loud enough to be heard, as Merry rolled his eyes. "It's us, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. You remember, right?"

Snortz grunted at the hobbits menacingly, then picked his pace up a bit, putting distance between the young witch and the small hobbits. Hermione blinked again, then began to struggle weakly, feeling ill from the increase of motion. She was, of course, ignored.

"Oi! HERMIONE! COME BACK HERE!" Merry yelled after her, before turning to Pippin. "She may be able to get us out of here, Pip."

Pippin goggled at his friend. "She could? How? I mean, it's nice and courteous to be waking her up, but now she's gone ahead… how can she get us out?"

"The stick!" Merry cried, like a contestant on a muggle TV show… not that he was aware that he was doing such a good impression.

"Ooh! Of course!" Pippin blinked. "…Uh, what stick?"

"THE STICK SHE WAS USING TO MAKE THINGS MOVE!" Merry yelled, suddenly realizing why Pippin was oft called "Fool of a Took" by Gandalf.

Several Uruk-Hai stared at Merry after his odd outburst. Merry glared back at them with all the defiance his boy-like Hobbit face could muster. The Uruk-Hai went back to jogging.

"Erm, of course… what other stick could you have been talking about?" Pippin asked nervously, trying to cover up his blundering, albeit short term, memory.

Merry struggled to peer over the shoulder of the Uruk-Hai he was tied to, trying to see Hermione. He noted that she was several paces ahead of them, and the distance was continuing to lengthen. The hobbit sighed dejectedly, and turned to his friend. "This just isn't our day, Pip."

~*~*~*~

Aragorn, Legolas, Ron, and Gimli tracked the Uruk-Hai as best they could. Ron, even though they would never have told him to his face, out of courtesy, was slowing them down. He could not run for long distances, he could not run fast, and he had no tracking skills of any type. The boy was, in other words, a burden, even though he could transfigure things into the occasional flask of water… although the water had an odd taste, and Aragorn and Legolas had taken to pouring the water out when Ron wasn't looking- Gimli gladly drank whatever was offered.

While Aragorn listened to the tales the rocks shared, Legolas had drawn Gimli aside. "Gimli, have you noticed the boy is… lagging?" the elf asked gingerly, raising his eyebrows towards Ron, who was still over twenty yards behind and staggering, his hand clutching an apparent stitch in his side.

"Yes, master elf, I have. What do you propose we do?" 

Legolas's brow furrowed briefly in concentration, before smoothing back to normal. "I shall carry him."

Gimli snorted. "How long do you think you could carry him before your arms began to cramp?" he asked derisively.

"That's where you come in."

"It is?"

"Yes. We shall take turns carrying the youth." Legolas said matter-of-factly.

The dwarf raised a bushy eyebrow at his companion. "And what of Aragorn?"

Legolas shuffled his feet and looked at the gangly rider. "He is weak enough as it is. Even though Aragorn would probably gladly take a rotation in carrying the boy… I fear it could kill him. He is not as strong as he once was; you know that as well as I."

Gimli nodded, and looked at Aragorn. To an onlooker, it would have appeared that the gangly man had collapsed on a rock into sweet oblivion, but Gimli knew that Aragorn was merely listening intently. The ranger was able to run for days straight, but he seemed very malnourished. _Yes, the burden of carrying the boy may very well end him, _thought Gimli.

Ron, breathing hard and now using both hands to clutch the cramp in his side, arrived to where the elf and dwarf were conferring. "W…what's… up… guys?" he asked, each word punctuated by gasps.

"Nothing, Ron." Legolas said, smiling kindly.

"Oh…" Ron said, struggling to return the smile before he sat down- hard- on the ground to attempt to rest. He sat for a moment, struggling to breathe.

It was at almost the exact same time as Ron sat down that Aragorn stood up. "Their march has quickened." he announced, then took off again. 

Ron groaned, and watched Aragorn begin to increase the distance between them. As he stared at Aragorn's retreating back, he was briefly struck by the resemblance to Harry- shoulders stooped, head down. Ron was so entranced by the resemblance that he completely missed the glance that Legolas sent to Gimli, and the dwarf's curt nod in response.

"Away we go, Ron." Legolas said, then leaned over, and hoisted Ron onto his shoulders before continuing to run.

"What…are… you… doing?" Ron gasped.

"Giving you a break, master wizard." Legolas said.

"…Oh…" Ron replied weakly, to tired to fight for once in his life. Leaning his head tiredly on Legolas's shoulder, he watched Gimli struggle to keep up.

~*~*~*~

Harry was not enjoying himself.

He supposed this was a great adventure, a wondrous learning experience, and who knew what else. But, none of that really mattered to him. He was not enjoying himself, to be perfectly understating. What DID matter was how lonely he was without Ron's wisecracks or Hermione's occasional sadistic humor. He missed his friends terribly, and his hobbit-y guides were no substitutes.

Frodo and Sam kept mostly to themselves, neither bothering to really try to include Harry in anything. Sam occasionally would pause to help Harry if he stumbled, but the hobbit's mind was obviously on his life-long friend. As for Frodo…

As for Frodo…

Well, Frodo was a different case all together. He had seemed nice enough at first meeting, but every so often an odd glint would worm its chilling way into his eyes, and he would snap at Harry to keep up, or insult Sam in such cruel manners that harry was reminded quite forcefully of Snape.

Harry knew he would have to keep an eye on Frodo. 

~*~*~*~

A/N: Ok, I know the Harry-Sam-Frodo part was short, but I promise it'll be longer once Gollum/Smeagol pops up. This is not slash, nor is it going to be, in case you're wondering. This story is pretty much going to follow the movies, so once we clear LOTR2, then we'll have to wait for LOTR3 to come out before the story continues, ok? I hope you liked this chapter, please review!


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